Michel Blavet was the most distinguished French flautist of the 18th century. Born in Besançon, son of a wood turner, he was completely self-taught on the flute, quite an achievement I say. He arrived Paris in 1723, where he was under patronage of several royalty, the last being Count de Clermont. Besides that, he quick established himself in the Parisian music scene, being the most frequent performer of the Concert Spirituel series. Since the audiences came from all walks of life and not limited to royalty or the super wealthy, this might have promoted his reputation even further. Starting around 1736, he became ordinaire de la musique de la chambre du roi (chamber musician to the king), then of the queen, and even later first flautist at the Opera. Safe to say, his position as one of the leading performers of Paris was unrivaled.

Blavet's fame was no fluke, and was he certainly was not overrated. Frederick the Great tried in vain to employ him in his court, and his own great flautist Quantz said after an encounter that Blavet was the "most admirable" flautist he has ever met. The list of people who spoke of admiration goes on and on, including musicians Telemann, Marpurg, Daquin, etc... but also included great thinker Voltaire. He performed in the premiere of Telemann's Paris Quartets. Lelciar's works for flute were purportedly written for Blavet, whom often performed with. Boismortier's set of 6 sonatas for flute and obliggato harpsichord is also dedicated to Blavet.

Blavet did not compose many works. Aside from his 4 operas, the remaining instrumental works include only 3 published opuses, one flute concerto, and some arrangements of pieces by other composers. The pieces on this recording are his Op.2 sonatas for flute and continuo, titled "Sonates mêlées de pièces." I suspect that the use of the term "mêlée" probably refers to synthesis and "close encounter" of the French and Italian styles in each sonata, the goûts réunis trend started by Francois Couperin. In addition to the Italian tempo indication (adagio, allegro), movements with dance rhythms are also specified (sarabande, gavotte). Certain movements also have character title pieces, references which probably have less significance. Another "mêlée"-like feature is the alternating French and Italian spelling of the same forms (gavotte - gavotta, rondeau - rondo). However, synthesis of styles goes beyond the superficial naming of pieces. Slow adagios, for examples, are filled with French dotted rhythms and densely ornamented.

Despite being a flute virtuoso, Blavet's works are not technically demanding. In fact, he wrote these pieces for amateurs in mind. In these sonatas for example, he carefully indicates on the score where to breathe. He noted that the skilled flautist should never "confound one phrase with another, or interrupt a singing passage which must be completed in one breath." Indeed, his pedagogical intentions are admirable.

Canadian Baroque flautist Claire Guimond is supported by Jonathan Manson on the gamba and the late John Toll on the harpsichord. Most will have seen John Toll's name in the Andrew Manze recordings, being a member of the group Romanesca. This might have been Toll's last recordings before he passed away in 2001. Guimond's flute has a dark but round tone. Her intonation is clear, and she adopts a smooth musical line and relaxed feel, evoking delicateness and elegance in the French idiom. The continuo group is light but adequate, and Toll's occasional use of the lute stop adds to variety in the sound. Overall, I found this recording to be good. Fast movements are lively without being rushed, slower sections are meditative but not groggy, contrasts in dynamics and phrasing are present but never over the top. It's French flute music as I envisioned it to be.

It's eerie seeing so many of the recordings I own pop-up on your site! I appreciate you going into historical detail with the recordings, with respect to the composers, etc.

I encountered the Blavet concerto in high school; a friend of mine was mastering it in her flute lessons. Having later collected it by MAK on their French Baroque Concertos CD, I saw Claire's recording and picked it up.

The reading here is good but I stretched myself to remember what this recording sounded like... it's not the most impressionable music. I couldn't recognize it from Hotteterre... which either says Blavet is bland, or else I'm a horrible connoisseur of French baroque music.

This is perfect music to put on the iPod when visiting a museum's gallery focused on French paintings.

The Blavet concerto is some virtuosic piece. This disc has been neglected by me for quite some time, but then I put it back on recently and really liked it, more so than before. Probably won't be able to sing these tunes in my head.

There is another recording by Jed Wentz on Brilliant Classics. The flute is brighter, and overall a more extroverted approach, supported by good percussive continuo playing from Borgstede. Maybe that *might* capture your attention slightly more ?

Difficult to compare, but I have enjoyed Wentz in other recordings, including with MAK in their Tafelmusik by Telemann. In listening again to Guimond, there are some pieces that actually remind me of the more famous A-minor concerto, but others almost a little too simple.

I have more of an issue with the music by Blavet than Guidmond & Co. performance.